IBS
IBS Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy Melbourne & Online
Concerned about how stress and anxiety are affecting your gut health, or finding yourself avoiding social events due to IBS symptoms?
Our hypnotherapists offer gut-directed hypnotherapy and mindfulness-based therapy for IBS in Melbourne and online, helping you manage stress-related digestive flare-ups and regain confidence.
Therapists for IBS
Adam Szmerling
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist
- 20+ years of experience
- $200 per 50-min session
- $89.50 back from Medicare for up to 10 sessions a year, with a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan
- Available in-person & online
Carolina Rosa
Counsellor & Hypnotherapist
- 10+ years of experience
- $170 per 50-min session
- Available in-person & online
Bernadette Cameron
Hypnotherapist, Counsellor, NLP Master Practitioner
- 5+ years of experience
- $170 to $200 per 50-min session
- Available in-person & online
Sara Herring
Clinical Hypnotherapist & Counsellor
- 20+ years of experience
- $170 per 50-min session
- Available online
Humaira Ansari
Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, Psychotherapist and Counsellor
- 16 years of experience
- $170 to $200 per 50-min session
- Available online
Lawrence Akers
Hypnotherapist & Counsellor
- 10 years of experience
- $170 per 50-min session
- Available in-person & online
Kelli Tranter
Hypnotherapist & Counsellor
- 10+ years of experience
- $170 per 50-min session
- Available online
Reviewed for accuracy by Adam Szmerling on Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AASW) and PACFA Registered Clinical Psychotherapist
Rediscover Digestive Comfort With IBS Treatment in Melbourne
Are you scared of leaving the house for fear of having an unwanted bowel movement or even diarrhoea? Are you finding the longer you put up with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the more difficult the symptoms of IBS become to manage?
Bayside Psychotherapy offers a choice of face-to-face or secure online hypnotherapy or counselling sessions that may help you better manage this debilitating syndrome.
You may be one of the 15% of Australian people with IBS. The most common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are chronic abdominal pain & discomfort, gas and bloating, frequent constipation and diarrhoea, the sensation of incompletely emptied bowels, nausea and indigestion.
As you are probably aware, this embarrassing and uncomfortable problem can inhibit your quality of life and affect your relationships at work and home. The exact cause of IBS is still unknown, but several factors such as gut bacteria, stress, and environmental triggers are believed to contribute. You may even be avoiding social occasions because you are worried you won’t be able to get to a bathroom in time.
Hypnotherapy Treatment For IBS
Stress and anxiety are often major contributors to IBS. Psychological stress has been demonstrated to both worsen IBS and increase as a result of its effects, potentially creating a downward spiral of physical and mental symptoms if left untreated. Hypnotherapy aims to teach you to gain more control of your symptoms by changing thought patterns around your anxiety and digestive activity. The main benefits of hypnotherapy include reducing anxiety, improving digestive function, and if appropriate limiting medication side effects (always consult your doctor prior to stopping medication).
We know it takes courage to request help, especially with such a delicate issue, but the earlier you address IBS, the sooner you’re likely to find relief. So taking the first step by making an appointment for an in-person or online session is vital. You will find our approach caring and non-judgemental.
Mindfulness Therapy
A major contributing factor to IBS is often the anxiety the condition causes. As with insomnia and worry, the more you resist, the more symptoms persist. One way to begin to control and treat irritable bowel syndrome is to manage the associated fear. To help you with this, we use Mindfulness Therapy, which is designed to calm the mind, increase your sense of inner peace, autonomy and control, and has been shown to help settle bowel disorders.
How Is IBS Treated?
Because irritable bowel can have a number of causes, and it’s often associated with anxiety and depression, finding the right treatment can be difficult. As we’ve already mentioned, it’s important to see a doctor to rule out any other medical conditions and to get a decisive IBS diagnosis. Gut-directed hypnotherapy has been studied in clinical trials for IBS, and many people in those trials reported fewer symptoms. Results vary, and it works best alongside care from your GP or gastroenterologist.
As is often the case, a combination of mental and physical techniques is often the most effective way to resolve IBS. For more complex cases involving longstanding psychological suffering associated IBS, longer term psychotherapy may be indicated.
What Is IBS?
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS for short, is an intestinal disorder causing pain in the stomach. It also includes flatulence, diarrhoea and constipation. Although a chronic condition, IBS is quite common.
IBS Common Symptoms
IBS can become quite uncomfortable but is usually harmless. As indicated above, symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Change in bowel habits
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Excessive gas
- Sense of fullness
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Bloating
Because IBS symptoms can mimic other gastrointestinal conditions, it is essential to obtain a formal diagnosis from a medical practitioner before commencing complementary psychological therapy.
Need IBS Hypnotherapy or Psychotherapy?
Therapy for Individuals – Seeking Treatment
Because everyone is different, our therapy is flexible and draws on a wide array of tools from a combination of therapies, including counselling. Our unique blend of Eastern and Western methods for the treatment of ibs allows us to treat your specific problems in a way best suited to your needs. Although IBS is a chronic disorder, some clients may find that they experience improvement of the severe symptoms quite quickly after commencing treatment. However, we generally find that long-term change requires ongoing commitment, and certainly, learning to manage IBS symptoms may result in dramatic improvements in quality of life.
Do you have any questions for us? Get in touch with us through our online contact form.
Call Bayside Psychotherapy on (03) 9557 9113 to find out if we’re able to help you. Your call is completely confidential, and there’s absolutely no obligation.
You can also book an appointment by using our online booking form for online appointments. Or, if you prefer, you can book an in-clinic session.
Self-hypnosis may also work well when used in conjunction with counselling or personalised hypnotherapy. You can download our IBS Self Hypnosis recording from our website.
How Long Does Treatment Take?
The time it takes to start getting your IBS under control will depend on how deeply rooted the inner conflict is and your willingness to participate in the process of working through underlying issues.
It’s easy to book a session online and take the brave step today.
Note: This information is informative only and is not to be used for diagnosis or substitution of appropriate assessment and/or treatment by your GP or another qualified health professional. We take care to keep our information accurate and up to date, but it may contain errors or omissions. To the extent the law allows, we’re not responsible for loss caused by relying on it, as explained in our Website Disclaimer.